Scott Wilkinson

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CEDIA 2010
Stewart Daily Dual 3D/2D Screen System
Scott Wilkinson  |  Sep 28, 2010
Several of the 3D projectors at CEDIA use passive-polarized glasses, which means they require a special silver screen to preserve the polarization of the light from the projector. However, such screens are not ideal for 2D images—their high gain results in hot spots and other issues that degrade the quality of 2D content. Stewart Filmscreen has come up with an ingenious solution—the Daily Dual, which consists of a fixed silver screen and a retractable white screen that covers the silver screen when displaying 2D material. It ain't cheap—a 132x74-inch system will set you back $15,000—but if you prefer polarized 3D projection as I am starting to, it's clearly the best way to go.
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CEDIA 2010
Gone But Not Forgotten
Scott Wilkinson  |  Sep 27, 2010
The 2010 CEDIA Expo may be over, but the memory lingers on. In fact, I saw so much that I couldn't post all of it during the show, so I'll be posting more stories—along with my photos from the floor—all this week. Meanwhile, here's my take on the event as a whole.
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CEDIA 2010
Wolf DCL-200FD LED-Illuminated DLP Projector
Scott Wilkinson  |  Sep 26, 2010
The DCL-200FD LED-illuminated DLP projector from Wolf Cinema isn't new at the show, but I saw it in action for the first time here, pictured above with a fixed anamorphic lens. Said to produce 850 ANSI lumens after calibration, it was demonstrated on a Screen Innovations Black Diamond II screen (0.8 gain, 16:9, 96 inches wide) playing the Pixar short Jack-Jack Attack, and it looked gorgeous. It's shipping now for $25,000.
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CEDIA 2010
Wolf DCC-100FD DLP Projector
Scott Wilkinson  |  Sep 26, 2010
One of Wolf Cinema's big introductions at CEDIA is the DCC-100FD single-chip DLP projector that uses a conventional lamp and color wheel. What's the big deal about that? It costs only $10,000 (including the company's outboard processor and Variscope lens memories for 2.35:1 and 16:9 content at constant height), which is a real bargain coming from Wolf.

The demo unit was a prototype; production units should be shipping by early next year. We saw a clip from Avatar on a Screen Innovations Black Diamond II (0.8 gain, 16:9, 96 inches wide), which looked great. I saw no hint of the dreaded rainbow artifact, but we'll have to see what Tom Norton says about that, since he's much more sensitive to it that I am.

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CEDIA 2010
REL G1 Subwoofer
Scott Wilkinson  |  Sep 26, 2010
New from REL is the G1 subwoofer ($4000), which sports a 12-inch carbon-fiber cone in a sealed, curved cabinet with a 700W class-AB amp.
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CEDIA 2010
Okki Nokki Record Cleaning Machine
Scott Wilkinson  |  Sep 26, 2010
With a name like Okki Nokki, it has to be good! This German company has come up with what it calls "the VIP of record-cleaning machines." You spread the included cleaning fluid on a vinyl record and attach the aluminum vacuum arm, which sucks up the fluid and, presumably, any dirt or dust on the surface. The RCM also comes with a goat-hair brush for $500 ($50 more for the clear dust cover). Michael Fremer should definitely hear about this!
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CEDIA 2010
ADA Trinnov Room Correction
Scott Wilkinson  |  Sep 25, 2010
After several years of prototype demos at trade shows, Audio Design Associates (ADA) is finally releasing a consumer version of its Trinnov room correction technology in three standalone boxes—the TEQ-4 ($10,000), TEQ-8 ($12,000), and TEQ-12 ($15,000); the model number indicates how many audio channels each one supports. The first step is to play test tones and measure several listening positions with the included microphone, which uses four pickups spaced so that the speakers' position—including height—can be measured accurately.
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CEDIA 2010
ADA PTM-7150 7-Channel Power Amp
Scott Wilkinson  |  Sep 25, 2010
Audio Design Associates (ADA) introduced two versions of a new multichannel power amp at CEDIA—the PTM-7150 (seven channels, $10,000) and PTM-5150 (five channels, $8000). Each one pumps 150Wpc into 8Ω, 250Wpc into 4Ω, and around 600Wpc into 2Ω. It operates in pure class-A mode for the first 50 watts, after which it moves to class-AB, and a patent-pending cooling system uses a high-volume/low-speed fan under the heat sinks to keep the amp cool and quiet.
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CEDIA 2010
RBH SA-500 Monoblock Subwoofer Amp
Scott Wilkinson  |  Sep 25, 2010
As I was listening to the Trinnov demo in RBH's booth, I was told about the company's brand new subwoofer amp, the SA-500, which provides 500W of class-D power. It's so new that only three exist, which were powering the company's 1010-SXN/R sub and the bass portions of two 8300-SX/Rs at the front left and right, and as I said in the Trinnov post, the sound was excellent with no hint of bloat. The rep didn't have pricing or availability.
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CEDIA 2010
SIM2 HDR47E LED-Backlit LCD Monitor
Scott Wilkinson  |  Sep 25, 2010
Aside from a bunch of projectors, SIM2 was also showing its 47-inch HDR47E LCD monitor, which uses Dolby's high-dynamic range LED-backlight technology in which each of the 2206 LEDs are individually dimmable with 20 bits of resolution, leading to a claimed contrast ratio of 1,000,000:1. Normally, I dismiss contrast specs, but I can believe this one—even on the show floor, the blacks were stunning, and bright portions were really bright; according to SIM2, the peak light output is 4000 nits, which is equivalent to 1167 foot-lamberts!

The HDR47E is intended for professional applications, such as automotive and medical imaging, and there are no specific plans to bring anything like it to the consumer market. And $35,000 for a 47-inch LCD is mighty steep. But it sure looked great playing Avatar.

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